The Pakistan Foreign Ministry said on Twitter that the country’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Asif Durrani, met with the Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and they “reiterated Pakistan’s desire to build close cooperative relations with Kabul” and “urged expeditious completion of flagship Pak-Afghan projects.”
In the meantime, Zardari said on Twitter that during the meeting they discussed “engagement with Afghanistan including counter terrorism, trade & connectivity. Pakistan is determined to working together for regional peace and prosperity.”
“This is Asif Khan Durrani’s first meeting with Pakistan’s foreign minister since he was appointed the country’s special representative for Afghanistan. In this meeting, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari asked for the completion of projects between Pakistan and Afghanistan, good ties with Afghanistan, and the fight against terrorism,” said Tahir Khan, a Pakistani journalist.
However, the Islamic Emirate’s spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the current Afghan government wants to have good ties with the whole world including Pakistan.
He added that countries should act to solve problems through diplomatic relations.
“Applying pressure leads to issues and gaps, which is not in the interest of any side. We want to interact with any country that wants to interact with us, including Pakistan,” Mujahid noted.
Now the question is, what is Islamabad looking for in its interaction with Kabul?
“The strategic, economic, security, political, and economic interests of Afghanistan, especially with geo-politics and geo-economics, are very important in Pakistan,” said Wais Naseri, a political analyst.
“Pakistan needs the Taliban because of the TTP, so Pakistan will accept some favors for the Taliban,” said Wahid Faqiri, an international relations expert.
Earlier, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs for the Cabinet of Pakistan, Hina Rabbani Khar, said that interaction with Kabul is conditional on the security of Afghanistan’s soil against Pakistan.
